10 Best bars & lounges in Singapore for jazz lovers

1/10
Montreux Jazz Café
When it comes to jazz cafes in Singapore, Montreux is likely to be on the tip of your tongue. On the first floor of Pan Pacific Hotel, this restaurant-and-bar provides live music. With a focus on jazz and blues (but occasionally showcasing other genres of music), this is a place that will delight with its good food and even greater tunes. Founded by the late Claude Nobs, creator of the Montreux Jazz Festival, this is the place for all music enthusiasts.

#01-02 Pan Pacific Orchard, 10 Claymore Road, Singapore 229540

Photo: Montreux Jazz Café Instagram
2/10
LuLu’s Lounge
For the night owls: this is for you. Open till 6am on Fridays and Saturdays, LuLu’s Lounge brings an eccentric and offbeat vibe to the nightlife scene in Singapore. Get your favorite drinks with a twist, while surrounded by an intimate ambience to boot, and relax with the hypnotic sounds of the live jazz bands and DJ sets. With a dance floor for you to shimmy your body around, definitely check out LuLu’s Lounge to get your feet tapping -- you won't be disappointed.

7 Raffles Boulevard, Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore 039595

Photo: LuLu’s Lounge
3/10
The Powder Room by The Black Swan
If you have ever fallen in love with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, chances are you will love it here at The Black Swan. This bistro serves up a delicious feast, but, more than that, located on the mezzanine is one of the best speakeasies in Singapore: The Powder Room. Modelled after the appeal of the 1920s, this bar will bring you back to the Jazz Age in the best possible way.

19 Cecil Street, Singapore 049704

Photo: The Powder Room Facebook
4/10
Axis Bar and Lounge
To unwind with good jazz music after a long week, Axis Bar and Lounge is the place to go. If you’re dropping by in the day, enjoy your afternoon tea with full-length glass windows that give you the perfect view of the Singapore skyline. As the hours go by, watch as the lounge transforms into a classy bar — with the setting sun and bright lights of the city providing you the perfect view, relax into the live music crooning softly in the background.

5 Raffles Ave, Singapore 039797

Photo: Axis Bar and Lounge Facebook
5/10
Astor Bar
Be prepared to be enchanted by resident jazz-singer-pianist Ron Sinclair as you enter Astor Bar, which is just off the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road. The place is unabashedly filled with luxury and opulence, perfect for a quiet drink out with friends. Relax in the leather chairs and sip on the delicious cocktails as you enter into bliss. With the exceptional service and atmosphere, Astor Bar is one not to be missed.

29 Tanglin Road, The St. Regis Singapore, Lobby Level, Singapore 247911

Photo: St. Regis Facebook
6/10
5 Emerald Hill Cocktail Bar
The iconic row of Peranakan houses along Emerald may seem unassuming, but 5 Emerald Hill Cocktail Bar proves that assumption wrong. With red lanterns hanging from the ceiling, a plethora of cocktails for you to choose from, and an unlimited serving of peanuts, it’d seem like you’ve entered a Prohibition-era bar, dashed with the appeal of a Shanghai dive bar. Get to the second floor where jazz music will lull you into delightful inebriation.

5 Emerald Hill Road, Singapore 228293

Photo: 5 Emerald Hill Cocktail Bar Facebookr
7/10
B28
When searching for B28, it’s easy to get confused as the location leads to a hotel. Head on underground, however, and find yourself suddenly in the home of some of the country’s top jazz musicians. With live performances from Wednesday to Saturday, this place lives up to its name of being a whisky bar. For those in love with that golden nectar and the lighthearted swing of jazz music, B28 will definitely hit all the right notes.

28 Ann Siang Rd, Singapore 069708

Photo: B28 Facebook
8/10
Blu Jaz Café
Whether you’re looking for a relaxing meal, a place to enjoy good music, or just to have a good time, you cannot go wrong with Blu Jaz Café. Even if you’re merely walking by, the eclectic nature of the place is sure to intrigue, with the mashup of decor and colours that serves as a brilliant backdrop for the laidback atmosphere and the beautiful sounds of jazz music.

11 Bali Lane, Historic Kampong Glam, Singapore 189848

Photo:@ashleespace
9/10
Acid Bar
Get ushered in with the bright entrance signboard and step into Acid Bar. While not a specialised jazz destination, Acid Bar provides a range of musical genres, performed to the highest calibre, that will surely be a delight to all music fanatics. True, the name might seem intimidating, but the service staff have perceptually excelled, and the food has never failed to deliver. At Acid Bar, what’s not to like?

180 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238846

Photo: Acid Bar
10/10
BRIX Singapore
Rounding up the list, we have BRIX Singapore. BRIX is one of the more popular hangouts in Singapore and for good reason too. Much like Acid, this place doesn’t specially focus on jazz music but instead has a repertoire of styles that are sure to please. You will always have a good time at BRIX, even if the queue might be slighty off-putting for some. But, once you’re in, get lulled by the intoxicating music and company, and find yourself never wanting to leave.

Grand Hyatt Singapore, 10 Scotts Road, 228211

Photo: Grand Hyatt Singapore

There’s something intoxicating about the 1920s. The glitz and the glamour, punctuated with the Prohibition that led to the rapid growth of illicit speakeasies. It was a rousing period of time, filled with an unparalleled opulence that gave the Roaring Twenties its nostalgic charm — one people have been clinging onto even to this day. The iconic image of a flapper was cemented then: a young, free girl, coming after the end of World War One. It’s no wonder jazz music has become such an intriguing musical genre that has pleased the hearts and ears of plenty.

If you know where to look, the jazz scene in Singapore is hard to miss. This means you don’t have to travel 24-four hours to New Orleans to experience the true-blue beauty of jazz. We’ve rounded up 10 spectacular bars and lounges for you to check out if you’re in need of your jazz fix that even the Queen of Jazz would approve of.

Lee Hui Bing

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